Brexit and attendance

You might be tired of hearing about it, but Brexit will have implications for attendance too. In this article, John Viner outlines what the impact might be if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Summary

It is likely that there will be a significant impact on schools in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Schools should make plans around a number of areas, including absence, late collection and closure.

Travel arrangements are likely to be particularly disrupted and schools should prepare.

The
extension to Article 50 did not limit the potential for disruption. Over the
past months, it has been almost impossible to predict the outcome of Britain’s
decision to leave the EU. Now we are facing the very real possibility of a
no-deal Brexit.

In those areas likely to be most seriously affected by
the disruption, local authorities are planning how to mitigate the local risks.
From Pembrokeshire to Essex, from Northumberland to Kent, council emergency
planners, often referred to as ‘Resilience Forums’ are setting out the steps
they will take in response to any number of different scenarios.

“ Pupil absence should be treated in the same way as in any other emergency ”

Schools that are located in areas where transport links
exist, especially haulage links, are likely to be particularly affected.
Schools should be aware that there may well be an impact on pupils’ attendance
and well-being. Local authorities in those areas are already planning for
various consequences. The code name for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat’s
plans is Operation Yellowhammer.

The
leaked Yellowhammer document, revealed in February, noted that the result of a
no-deal Brexit would be that:

‘…the capabilities of responders at all levels decrease or become overwhelmed…Critically, it has to be understood that…there will be issues of unanticipated impacts that arise, or impacts which had not been fully understood.’

Yellowhammer document

If
Operation Yellowhammer should have to be implemented in the event of a no-deal
exit from the EU, the impact on schools is going to be significant.

Areas to
consider

For schools and pupils, consideration
needs to be given to:

absence management

late collection arrangements

examinations

home-to-school transport

closure management

off-site activities

liaison with other agencies.

This
is not an exhaustive list but probably identifies the top priorities.

Absence
management

It is likely that there will be
disruption to travel, particularly in areas such as Kent, with the proximity of
the ports of Dover and Ramsgate. There may well be a subsequent impact on
parents bringing their children to school. In many ways, this will feel like an
extended severe weather closure and pupil absence should be treated in the same
way as in any other emergency.

In
such times, schools may code absent pupils as Code Y: Unable to attend due to
exceptional circumstances. Regulations state that this code can be used where a
pupil is unable to attend because:

the school site, or part of it, is closed due to an unavoidable cause

the transport provided by the school or a local authority is not available and where the pupil’s home is not within walking distance

a local or national emergency has resulted in widespread disruption to travel which has prevented the pupil from attending school.

The
DfE has told local authorities that pupils coded ‘Y’ for non-attendance will
not be counted in the school’s attendance figures.

Late
collection

It is, of course, possible that several
pupils will be late to school where transport is dislocated and a school will
also want to review its arrangements for their late collection. It is important
that risk assessments have been carried out for vulnerable pupils and that, for
all pupils, suitable arrangements are made for their care and supervision.

Early
review of this should cover what alternatives parents are able to make to their
normal collection arrangements. There should be clear, accessible records of
this to prevent last-minute worries.

Examinations

It is possible that where staff travel a
distance, schools could have an issue with late staff arrival or even absence.
In the short-term, this may affect the availability of teachers to cover
specific subjects. In the longer term, it is possible that disruption to travel
creates problems with examinations.

At
the time of writing, the DfE has not given any specific guidance on this but
headteachers should be exploring what arrangements could be made to mitigate
the impact on students with colleagues and examination boards.

Home-to-school
transport

Heavy traffic would increase the time it
takes for minibuses, buses and coaches to get to their destinations. Schools
might have to consider providing food for students and ensuring sufficient
staff remain on site to care for stranded children.

Finally,
if transport does not arrive, other methods must be considered, including
asking parents whether they can transport friends. This will require early
planning, bearing in mind safeguarding arrangements and the safety of your
pupils.

“ Schools that have pre-planned trips need to think now about the implications of disruption ”

Closure
management

It is always the headteacher’s decision
to close all or part of a school. However, in the event of a national
emergency, they will need to bear in mind that a school closure could
potentially result in many, sometimes hundreds, of parents having to leave
their place of work to care for their children.

As
an added complication, many of these parents could be employed in an occupation
that provides a vital service to the community and therefore whose absence
could, in itself, have a negative impact on the local situation. The course
frequently taken by headteachers is to run what sections of the school they can
with the staff they have and so close some classes or years but keep the school
as open as possible.

The
overriding principle is the safety and welfare of pupils. Once again, this
could look like a severe weather closure but early consideration would be
sensible and risk assessments should be on the agenda.

Off-site
activities

Schools that have pre-planned trips need
to think now about the implications of disruption. This will be especially true
if planning a trip out of the country. You may not want to consider
cancellation but, if the trip does go ahead, the school must be prepared for
longer delays than usual.

At
the moment it is hard to know what the exact requirements for travelling to EU
countries will be or what we can expect in the way of possible delays on entry
and exit. If the trip involves air travel, there is every likelihood of delays
at UK airports.

Liaison
with external agencies

This is very hard to predict but, in the
event of supply-chain delays, pupils requiring medication may be placed in some
difficulties and so it is important that schools identify their vulnerable
pupils and begin early liaison with the health service.

Social
services, court services and mental health agencies are likely to encounter
staff absences that could impact on specific cases. For this reason, early
discussion of arrangements for multi-agency meetings should be taking place.

This has been a short briefing on key issues. Schools
might also want to think about the impact on school meals provision and, for
those located near major transport routes, of the risk to air quality. Most
local authorities will have arrangements for monitoring air quality but school
leaders need to be alert to its deterioration and be prepared to minimise
exposure by moving all staff and pupils inside the building, even in hot
weather.

Toolkit

Use the following items in the Toolkit to help you put the ideas
in this article into practice: